North of the Kalavata village, near Kaman (Kamyavan), on a hilltop, lies the famous cave of Vyomasura (Vyomasura Gupha). This cave holds great significance as it was the place where Lord Krishna killed the demon Vyomasura to rescue his cowherd friends who were held captive by the demon.
It all started when Krishna and his friends were playing the game of “cops and robbers” on the Govardhan hill. Some say that Krishna and His friends were playing near Kamyavan on that day. The demon Vyomasura, who had the ability to fly in the sky, appeared in the guise of a cowherd boy and started stealing the boys, sealing them in his cave with stones. But Krishna, being the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord, understood the demon’s trickery and quickly caught hold of him. The demon tried to transform himself into a mountain to escape, but Krishna’s grip was too strong.
In the end, Vyomasura was defeated and killed by Krishna, just as an animal is slaughtered in a slaughterhouse. The footprints and handprints of Lord Krishna can still be seen on the rock atop the hill, where the battle took place. The nearby rock also has imprints of marigold flowers, and it is believed that the Kaustubha jewel, which was worn by Lord Vishnu, fell from the sky during the fight. The cave on the hill where Vyomasura concealed the cowherd boys is now commonly referred to as Vyomasura Gupha, with “Gupha” denoting cave. On the other side of the road are the lotus footprints of Lord Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother.
It is interesting to note that Vyomasura, in his previous life, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and ruled the kingdom of Kashi as King Bhimaratha. However, due to his false pride and disrespect towards the great sage Pulastya Muni, he was cursed to become a demon in his next life. Shortly after his death, Bhimaratha was reborn as Vyomasura, the son of the demon Maya Danava. During the tyrannical reign of King Kamsa, Vyomasura, along with other jealous demons, aided Kamsa in his quest for power and control over neighboring kingdoms. It was at Kamsa’s behest that Vyomasura was instructed to go and eliminate the young cowherd boy known as Krishna.
How to Reach
The cave of Vyomasura can be found to the north of Kalawata village near Kaman in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. Kaman is renowned as the fourth sacred forest of Vraja Mandala, an area intimately linked to the divine pastimes of Lord Krishna. To access the cave of Vyomasura, visitors must embark on a challenging ascent up the hill.